I didn’t particularly want to see something that private.
Shaking off the shock, I turned sharply on my heel.
A strong urge to get away from this area took hold of me, and I started walking fast—anywhere my feet would take me.
Until my phone rang.
“Shu.”
[Hilde. Busy? I picked up the game you left in the locker.]
Good.
I had promised Shu I’d let her borrow the game again for about three days. She was the one who lent it to me in the first place, so it was only fair to give it back when she needed it. Since our schedules didn’t match, I left it in the Badger locker and sent her the code. Looks like she got it without issue.
Glad to hear it, I lowered my voice.
The scene I’d just seen was still too shocking, and I needed to ask someone about it.
“By any chance... does Kudo-sunbae have any children?”
A puzzled tone came through the receiver.
[No. He doesn’t have kids.]
“What? He doesn’t?”
[I heard he has no blood relatives left.]
My senior explained it calmly, then asked back,
[Why?]
I described objectively what I had just witnessed.
I didn’t mention that it was his wedding anniversary; I only said that I’d seen him sitting at a restaurant, gently smiling at some woman. That much should be fine.
Instead of sounding surprised, Shu just went, “Ah,” as if she understood something.
[Probably his girlfriend.]
The answer stunned me.
[I’ve heard rumors now and then. People say they’ve seen him on dates with a blonde woman.]
A... date?
But the control room said it was his wedding anniversary.
He took leave for his wedding anniversary—just to go on a date with a girlfriend?
The information didn’t add up. Confused, I walked with my phone pressed to my ear, frowning.
He didn’t strike me as the type for something like that...
There had to be some misinformation mixed in there somewhere.
I wasn’t planning to dig into it, though.
I thanked her and was about to end the call when Shu spoke again.
[By the way, it’s better not to bring up Kudo-sunbae’s marriage.]
“Sorry?”
I hadn’t mentioned the anniversary at all, so how did she know?
Before I could ask, she continued—and my question was answered.
[You know he lost his wife during the war, right?]
“Ah... no, I only guessed.”
[He still wears his wedding ring. Once, when Richard-sunbae was preparing for a portal mission, he told everyone to take off accessories, and Kudo refused.]
Well, Richard is known to be strict.
[Apparently, Kudo wouldn’t back down.]
“Oh, he refused to take it off?”
[Yeah. So Richard got angry and said something like, ‘You’re not the only one who’s lost family.’]
My mouth fell open.
I froze mid-step on the street.
Office workers on lunch break glanced at me oddly as they passed by.
Shu’s tone stayed calm.
[That’s when Kudo-sunbae attacked him.]
“He hit him?”
[Badly.]
I could understand that.
[He completely lost it. Beat Richard-sunbae to a pulp. The others on site had to rush in and stop him or it would’ve been a disaster.]
“Oh... What happened after that?”
[A month’s suspension. Richard admitted he’d gone too far, and Kudo apologized formally to the upper command, so it ended peacefully.]
“To the Commander?”
[Yeah. Ska—back then he wasn’t an aide yet—and Sordi-sunbae literally dragged Kudo there. The three of them stood together before Commander Yehyeon and bowed.]
Richard forgave him, so why go that far?
Then again, it made sense.
“Richard-sunbae must’ve been his squad leader at the time.”
[Right. So it was technically classified as insubordination during a mission—serious enough to cause big trouble if they’d pursued it.]
I let out a small, awkward laugh.
Tomorrow, during the night patrol, I’d better not say, “I saw you at lunch yesterday.”
Apparently, he’s got a temper.
And probably a few landmines to avoid.
I thanked Shu for the useful information and ended the call.
***
After hanging up, Shu clutched the game cartridge carefully.
She slipped her phone into her pocket and started walking down the corridor.
She couldn’t wait to get home and boot up the game.
The newly discovered Easter Egg was rumored to be quite significant, and she was excited.
Normally, the Easter Eggs in From E were trivial things.
If you shook a third-floor painting in the castle, the eyes of the portrait would move; if you adjusted the time on the grandfather clock, a hidden attic would open containing an item—those kinds of minor secrets.
But this new Easter Egg was different. It had become a hot topic in the community. And apparently, even that wasn’t the complete discovery yet.
I’ll try it first and tell Hilde.
She was thinking that when noise erupted at the far end of the hall.
She blinked as several men approached.
The smell of dirt and sweat hit her.
“Hey, isn’t that the hoverboard kid!”
A group of Badgers had just returned from a portal mission.
All men, their uniforms disheveled and dusty as they walked down the not-so-narrow corridor.
Shu now knew all their names.
Dante, Henry, Cheon Lin, Karsten—
and Ricardo Sordi.
She bowed slightly to the approaching seniors.
“Where you headed? Patrol?”
“No, I’m off today...”
“Going home to game then!”
As Dante teased her, Cheon Lin pointed to the cartridge in her hand.
“That right?”
“Yes. I’m going to play it when I get home.”
“What game is that? New release?”
Shu shook her head slowly.
She knew Cheon Lin played games—but very different kinds from what she liked. Still, they sometimes talked about gaming, so she answered lightly.
“It’s From E.”
After naming the genre, she added casually,
“Hilde’s in it.”
The men all stopped mid-step, exchanging puzzled looks.
Shu didn’t bother elaborating. Instead, she pulled out her phone, searched the game, and showed them a few screenshots.
She was under 160 centimeters tall, so even with her arm raised, the screen didn’t reach their eye level.
They bent over, craning their necks.
Their eyes widened.
“What the hell?”
Dante snatched her phone.
“This really looks exactly like that rookie! Damn, that kid must be obsessed with this game!”
“Even the name’s the same!”
“How’s that possible?”
Dante, Henry, and Cheon Lin burst out laughing as they swiped through screenshot after screenshot.
Karsten stared down at Shu, eyes round.
“When did this game come out?”
“Before the Second War.”
“Huh? Then it’s older than that white-haired kid?”
Karsten shoved Henry aside to look closer.
“So that kid copied this character?”
“No, Hilde was shocked when she saw it too,” Shu cut in, stopping the misunderstanding before it spread.
“She had no idea something like this existed. Maybe her parents named her after it.”
That quieted them all for a moment.
The hallway smelled faintly of dust and sunbaked dirt.
Henry was the first to break the silence, frowning as he rubbed his head.
“So her parents named her after this character because of the gray hair?”
His eyes narrowed slightly, scolding in tone.
“Kind of cruel, isn’t it? Brown skin and gray hair—guess they thought it matched. But... it feels wrong to say that about the dead.”
“They’re gone?”
“She’s from an orphanage.”
“Then how come her eye color’s the same?”
“Maybe the opposite. They named her after ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) the character because she had tanned skin and yellow eyes.”
“So the white hair’s dyed?”
The four men huddled close around Shu’s phone, talking all at once. Shu just looked up quietly at them.
She understood their reaction—she’d been just as shocked the first time she met Hilde. So she simply watched as they argued among themselves.
But one of them looked... different.
Ricardo stood silently beside the noisy group, wearing an odd expression.
What’s with that face?
Hard to read. Maybe he was recalling his first encounter with Hilde. He had been there that day, after all, when she appeared. They’d only worked together once, but he’d always been a difficult person to read.
She was lost in thought when Dante suddenly leaned in.
“Your hair’s dyed, right?”
Shu blinked her blue eyes.
“Yes.”
“Why do you always do that two-tone style? Trying to look like a game character?”
“Didn’t you just forget to touch up your roots?”
“It’s two-tone.”
“Man, doesn’t she look like she came straight out of a game? You did that on purpose, didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
“What’s that called again? That fashion thing?”
“I know—fairy fashion.”
“Don’t say dumb stuff, you idiots~.”
When Henry joined in, closing the distance between them, Ricardo elbowed both him and Dante aside.
Cheon Lin and Karsten looked up from the phone.
Ricardo snatched it from their hands and returned it to Shu.
“Go change already... you reek~.”
With a faint smile, the green-eyed senior handed the phone back to her while scolding the men. They looked sheepish, brushing off their dusty uniforms.
Until Dante suddenly went, “Oh, right!”—remembering something.
“Isn’t there a football match today?”
Realization lit up everyone’s faces.
Shu quietly watched as the men hurried off down the corridor.
Judging by their excitement, they planned to enjoy their day off watching the game, shouting about beer and snacks as they went.
Beer sounds good.
Thinking that, she started to leave too—but Ricardo stopped her.
“Diamond~.”
“Yes.”
The Badger who hadn’t gone with the others smiled lazily.
Shu wasn’t surprised. Somehow, she’d known he’d speak to her.
Hands in his pockets, his green eyes were fixed on the game cartridge in her hand.
“Can I borrow that game later~?”
Of course.
She’d expected that.
Shu didn’t look surprised or offended, but she didn’t say yes either.
She was supposed to return it to Hilde in three days.
Besides, she had another idea.
Lowering her voice slightly, she asked,
“Do you play games, sir?”
“Hmm? Nah~... not really~. I’m bad at them~.”
“Then how about you play this with me right now?”
Surprise flickered in Ricardo’s green eyes.
“I’m going to start it up right away. Want to watch?”
***
Day shift ended without incident.
And I was in an absurdly good mood.
The noodles were divine.
The moment work ended, I ran straight to that same noodle shop and ordered the basic bowl.
I’d been so excited about eating alone that I’d been sneaking glances at the clock thirty minutes before shift’s end.
A divine chef’s touch. Pure genius.
Of course, I didn’t even glance at the chili pork topping.
The basic version was perfection—why ruin it?
The noodles came out quickly, and the familiar aroma nearly made me emotional.
I ate happily.
So happily I forgot reality for a moment.
Until the phone in my Black Badger uniform pocket began to ring.
[Creature detected in Sector A, District 17.]
...Huh?
[Creature detected in Sector A, District 17.]
That’s my district.
[Black Badger deployment recommended.]
[Class 4 Creature: “Ashen Mantle.”]
